Are anti-aging surgeries haram?

When scrutinized under an Islamic lens, the ruling on anti-aging surgeries is one of those topics that tends to fall into a fairly grey area. It is often debated whether cosmetic treatments and surgeries aimed at altering your outward appearance fall under the jurisdiction of Islam.

For a Muslim, matters pertaining to beautification and adornment vary over a spectrum of two extremes- on one extreme, non-surgical (temporary) means of beautification such as henna, kohl, jewelry, creams, etc. are allowed under the Shariah law. On the flip side, the Shariah law prohibits the physical alteration and tampering of the human body through surgical means for purely cosmetic purposes because then, you are essentially changing what Allah (SWT) has created.

We are all born as complete and whole entities – perfectly designed by the greatest of Designers. In the Holy Quran, Allah (SWT) deems His creation as perfect and in no need of change and emphasizes the sanctity of all that He has created:

"Let there be no change in Allah's creation." (Qur'an 30:30)

So where does the grey area come in? Upon further scrutiny, one realizes it is not all black and white. Plastic surgery is a wide domain that encompasses various cosmetic treatments and surgeries aimed at altering the outward appearance of an individual- including anti-aging surgeries. However, plastic surgery may not always be a choice but rather a necessity.

There are cases where cosmetic surgery becomes a requirement where the individual needing the surgery has an unnatural bodily disfiguration, when a bodily part is missing, or if parts of the body have been deformed or damaged due to external causes such as accidents, assault, burns etc. The physical deformation may also be a result of different types of illnesses including various types of skin disease, leprosy etc. These type of faults tend to be a source of great physical and mental discomfort and pain to the individual harboring them and may have detrimental effects on the individual’s overall well-being. Hence, in these cases, surgery becomes a necessity more than a luxury. Therefore, there is a general consensus amongst Islamic scholars that Islam leaves room for such individuals to undergo plastic surgeries aimed at easing, lessening or removing the respected afflictions and faults. Here, it is important to note that this exception is strictly made in cases where ‘not’ performing the surgery is causing increased harm to the person and does not come under the banner of a beautification enhancement choice.

However, cosmetic surgeries purely carried out with the aim of enhancing beauty are prohibited in the realm of Islam, as they alter the physical outlook of the body (be it temporary or permanent) and essentially changes what Allah (SWT) has created. These include anti-aging surgeries, body lifts, breast augmentation/reduction, hip reduction/enhancement, facial implants etc. These surgeries are not a ‘necessity’ but a conscious choice by the individual to alter his/her physical body for the sake of attaining a higher level of beauty – consequently, it is deemed haram.

In today’s world, the common notion of ‘freedom’ that is making rounds in every street of the world is that man is a free entity – free to do as he pleases with his body. What they tend to forget and overlook is the fact that your body is a keepsake from Allah (SWT) and He has entrusted you with it so you may take care of it without defiling it. In the Holy Quran, Allah (SWT) expounds on the promises made by Satan to mislead the believers into engaging in acts disfavored by Allah (SWT):

“And indeed I will order them to change the nature created by Allah.” (Quran 4:119)

Our religion teaches us to age gracefully and to be satisfied with what Allah (SWT) has endowed us with. The only type of beauty that matters in Islam is inner beauty. A Muslim’s beauty is based on his/her level of faith, piety, and character. We tend to forget the higher purpose of this world - we should work towards beautifying our faith and our character in the eyes of Allah (SWT) instead of dwelling in the materialistic traps of this world.